Writing pen lock

ABSTRACT

A WRITING PEN HAVING LOCKING FIRST AND SECOND BARREL MEMBERS WHICH HOUSE AN INK CARTRIDGE. THE FIRST BARREL MEMBER HAS A LONGITUDINAL BORE THEREIN AND THE SECOND BARREL MEMBER INCLUDES AN INSERT PART SLIDABLY DISPOSED WITHIN THE LONGITUDINAL BORE OF THE FIRST BARREL MEMBER. AN INTERLOCK MEMBER IS SLIDABLY RECEIVED WITHIN THE INSERT PART OF THE SECOND BARREL MEMBER AND SERVES TO CAM A DETENT WHICH IS SEATED IN A LATERAL BORE IN THE INSERT PART OF THE SECOND BARREL MEMBER INTO A RECESS IN THE FIRST BARREL MEMBER AND THEREBY LOCK THE BARREL MEMBES TOGETHER.

March 16, 1971 G E. HENDRICKS 3,570,284

WRITING PEN LOCK Filed Jan. 9, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l N VENTOR. GROVE/QE. HENDR/CKS 1] 1, L 141 (r A A TTO/QNE Y5 March 16, 1971 G. E.HENDRICKS WRITING PEN LOCK 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1969 @LMM/b &MMam/ A 7' TOR/V5 Y5 United States Patent O 3,570,284 WRITING PEN LOCKGrover E. Hendricks, Niles, Mich., assignor to Rolamech Patents, Ltd.,Chicago, Ill. Filed Jan. 9, 1969, Ser. No. 790,025 Int. Cl. A44b 17/00;E051) 73/00 US. Cl. 70-58 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A writingpen having locking first and second barrel members which house an inkcartridge. The first barrel member has a longitudinal bore therein andthe second barrel member includes an insert part slidably disposedwithin the longitudinal bore of the first barrel member. An interlockmember is slidably received within the insert part of the second barrelmember and serves to cam a detent which is seated in a lateral bore inthe insert part of the second barrel member into a recess in the firstbarrel member and thereby lock the barrel members together.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a writing penhaving locking barrel parts which house an ink cartridge.

Writing pens, such as ball point pens, have wide utilization in banks,filling stations, department stores and in similar places where they areprovided for use in the filling out of deposit slips, the writing ofchecks, and the signing of purchase receipts for credit card purchases.Many of these pens are taken or otherwise disappear when in use and mustbe replaced at additional expense. To reduce the incidence of pen loss,it is customary to anchor the pens to desks or pen holders by means oflight-weight chains. But, even with this loss-preventive measure beingtaken, it is not uncommon to find pens which have been disassembled andparts thereof taken. This invention concerns a writing pen which isuniquely constructed so that it cannot be disassembled by the ordinaryuser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a writing pen havinglocked barrel members which house an ink cartridge and which cannot bedisassembled or separated by the ordinary user of the pen. The writingpen of this invention includes first and second engaging barrel membersand a lock member slidably disposed within the barrel members. The lockmember serves to cam an internally positioned detent into interlockingengagement with the first and second barrel members and thereby preventtheir separation. When desired, the lock member can be shifted withinthe barrel members of the pen by means of a special tool so as to causethe detent to be freed from its interlocking engagement with the barrelmembers and thereby allow the barrel members to be separated. The pencan be attached to one end of a chain or cable which has its oppositeend secured to a writing desk, pen holder, or similar anchoring meansand is so designed that its interlocking parts are concealed from thepen user so as to provide no hint as to how its barrel members can beseparated.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a writing penhaving locking barrel members whose manner of disassembly is unknown tothe user.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a writing pen whichcan be attached to a writing desk or similar object by a chain or cableand which contains concealed interlocking parts which prevents the penuser from disassembling the pen.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a writing pen whichis of economical construction and which ice.

has concealed interlocking parts preventing disassembly of the penwithout the aid of a special tool.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent upon a reading ofthe inventions description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thewriting pen of this invention in use and attached by cable to a penholder.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the writing pen of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary axial sectional view of the writingpen of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary axial sectional view of the writingpen of FIG. 1 illustrating the use of a special tool to disassemble thepen.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the writing pen of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary axial sectional view of the writing pen of FIG.1 in modified form.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary axial sectional view of the writing pen of FIG.1 in modified form.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodimentsillustrated are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the inventionto the precise forms disclosed. They are chosen and described in orderto best explain the principles of the invention and its application andpractical use to thereby enable others skilled in the art to bestutilize the invention.

The embodiment of the pen of this invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-5includes a first barrel member 10 and an engaging head or second barrelmember 12 which cooperate to house an ink cartridge 14. First barrelmember 10 is preferably tubular and has a longitudinal bore 16 which isdefined in part by a rear end wall 18 and a tubular wall 19. The outersurface of wall 19, primarily for appearance, preferably tapersrearwardly from a forward end face 20 to a rear end face 22 of thebarrel member 10. The inner surface of wall 19 is preferably interruptedby a circumferential recess or groove 24 formed adjacent to but spacedinwardly from forward end face 20.

Second barrel member 12 includes an outer part 26 and a coaxial insertpart 34. Outer part 26 preferably has a rear end face 28, a straightportion 30 which extends forwardly from end face 28 and which has anouter diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of first barrelmember 10' at front end face 20 thereof, and a frustoconical portion 32which tapers forwardly from straight portion 30 and which terminates ina forward tip 31. Insert part 34 of barrel member 12 extends rearwardlyfrom end face 28 of outer part 26 and terminates in a rear end face 46.Insert part 34 preferably has an outer diameter which is slightly lessthan the inner diameter of longitudinal bore 16 of first barrel member10 at its front end face 20 and is slidably received within bore 16.Barrel member 12 has a coaxial bore 38 therethrough which preferablyincludes a forward section 38a of one substantially uniform diameter anda rear coaxial section 38b of a larger substantially uniform diameter.Section 38a preferably extends through outer part 26 of barrel member12, and section 38b preferably extends through insert part 34 of barrelmember 12 and is separated from section 3801 by an annular shoulder 39.A lateral bore 36 is formed in the side wall of insert part 34 and is sospaced relative to rear end face 28 of outer part 26 thereof that itregisters with groove 24 in barrel member 10 when rear end face 28 abutsfront end face 20- of barrel member 10.

A lock member 40 is slidably disposed within bore 38 of barrel member 12and preferably includes a rear part 42, which is positioned withinenlarged section 3812 of bore 38 and which has a front face 44 and arear face 45, and a coaxial forward end part 48, which projectsforwardly from front face 44 of rear part 42 and which is receivedwithin section 38a of bore 38. The outer diameter of rear part 42 ispreferably slightly less than the diameter of section 38b of bore 38 inbarrel member 12. A recess or circumferential groove 50, preferablyhaving beveled sides, is formed in the outer surface of rear part 42 ofthe lock member adjacent front face 44 thereof so as to be positionedforwardly of lateral bore 36 in barrel member 12 when face 44 of thelock member abuts face 28 of the barrel member 12 as shown in FIG. 3.With face 44 of the lock member abutting face 28 of barrel member 12,forward end part 48 of the lock member preferably extends forwardlywithin bore 38 in the barrel member and has its fowardmost end 52terminating within bore 38 preferably just slightly inwardly of theforward tip 31 of the barrel member. Lock member 40 has an axial bore 49therethrough.

A detent 54 is disposed within lateral bore 36 in barrel member 12.Detent 54 is preferably spherical, although it may be of some otherconfiguration, such as cylindrical, and preferably has a diameter whichis approximately twice the thickness of the side wall of barrel memberinsert part 34. The depth of groove 24 in barrel member and groove 50 inlock member 40 is preferably approximately one half of the diameter ofdetent 54.

Ink cartridge 14, which is housed within the barrel members 10 and 12,is of a construction well known in the art and includes anink-containing body part 56 which is positioned within longitudinal bore16 of barrel member 10 and an elongated coaxial reduced forward headpart 58 which terminates in a writing tip 60 and which projects throughbore 49 of lock member 40.

Barrel member 10 also preferably has an axial bore 64 which extends fromrear end face 22 to face 65 of end wall 18. Bore 64 is preferably ofsmaller diameter than bore 16 of barrel member 10 and receives one end67 of a flexible attachment means, such as a cable 66. End 67 of cable66 protrudes just inwardly beyond face 65 of end wall 18 into bore 16. Aspherical stop 68 preferably is secured, as by crimping, to end 67 ofcable 66 and serves to prevent cable end 67 from being withdrawn frombarrel member 10. The opposite end of cable '66 is preferably attachedto a pen holder 70 which has an inclined bore 72 formed therein for thereceipt of the pen when it is not in use. Pen holder 70 may be bolted orotherwise anchored to a writing desk.

A biasing means, such as a helical spring 62, is positioned to the rearof ink cartridge 14 within bore 16 in barrel member 10. Spring 62 hasone end engaging rear end face 63 of the ink cartridge 14 and itsopposite end preferably engaging stop 68 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 andserves to urge ink cartridge 14 forwardly within bore 16 and againstrear face 45 of lock member 40 which, in turn, is caused to abut barrelmember 12 as illustrated in FIG. 3. With ink cartridge 14 so urged byspring 62 forwardly within bore 16 and lock member 40 abutting barrelmember 12, writing tip 60 of the ink cartridge projects slightly beyondtip 31 of barrel member 12 and circumferential groove 50 in lock member40 is positioned out of registry with lateral bore 36 in barrel member12, thereby causing detent 54 disposed within bore 36 to be biased intogroove 24 in barrel member 10 so as to prevent separation of the barrelmembers. Spring 62 is of sufficient stiffness so as to prevent writingtip 60 of the ink cartridge from being pushed rearwardly into barrelmember 12 when the pen is used and yet is preferably sufficientlyresilient so as to absorb any force transmitted directly to the writingtip should the pen be dropped and fall on its tip. By utilizing asubstantially spherical stop 68 at end 67 of chain 66, the chain cantwist relative to the pen and will not become fouled when the pen isused. As an alternative construction, spring 62 can be received overstop 6. and engage end wall 1 8.

To separate barrel member 12 from barrel member 10, lock member '40 needonly be shifted rearwardly within barrel member 12 until groove 50 inthe lock member registers with lateral bore 36 in barrel member 12 topermit detent 54 to seat within groove 50 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Inorder to shift lock member 40 rearwardly within barrel member 12, a tool74 may be utilized. Tool 74 preferably includes a knurled grip part 75,which has an end face 76, and a cylindrical end part 78 which projectsoutwardly from face 76 and which has an outer diameter slightly smallerthan the diameter of section 38a of bore 38 in barrel member 12.Cylindrical end part 78 of tool 74 has an axial bore =80 therein whichis adapted to receive the writing tip 60 of ink cartridge 14. End part78 of tool 74 is fitted over writing tip 60 of the ink cartridge and isinserted into bore section 38a of barrel member 12 where it abuts end 52of lock member 40 and causes the lock member to be pushed or shiftedinwardly into bore section 38a until groove 50 of the lock member isbrought into registry with lateral bore 36 in the barrel member.

To lock barrel members 10 and 12, end part 78 of tool 74 is insertedinto barrel member 12. Lock member 40 is received within bore 38 ofbarrel member 12 with groove 50 of the lock member registering withlateral bore 36 in barrel member 12 and with detent 54 received withinlateral bore 36 and seated in groove 50. Insert part 34 of barrel member12 is then inserted into longitudinal bore 16 of barrel member 10 untilend face 20 of barrel member 10 abuts end face 28 of barrel member 12.Tool 74 is then withdrawn from barrel member 12 to permit spring 66 inbarrel member 10 to urge ink cartridge 14 and lock member 40 forwardlyand thereby cause detent 54 to be cammed into groove 24 in barrel member10.

Another embodiment of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 6. In thisembodiment the heretofore described embodiment of FIGS. l-S is modifiedto the extent that an indentation or recess 82 for receiving detent 54is substituted for circumferential groove 24. Not only are barrelmembers 10 and 12 prevented from being separated but one barrel membercannot be rotated relative to the other barrel member when detent 54 isreceived within indentation 82.

Another embodiment of this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. Inthis embodiment the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 is modified tothe extent that an indentation 82 is substituted for circumferentialgroove 24 and an aperture 84 is formed in tubular wall 19 of barrelmember 10. Aperture '84 has its axis lying in the same transverse planeas the center of indentation 82 and is angularly spaced from indentation82. Barrel members and 12 are separated with the aid of tool 74 in thesame manner as that previously described for the embodiment illustratedin FIGS. 1-5. To reassemble and lock the barrel members, end part 78 oftool 74 is inserted into barrel member 12. Lock member 40 is fitted intobore 38 of barrel member 12 with groove 50 of the lock memberregistering with lateral bore 36. Insert part 34 of barrel member 12 isthen inserted into bore 16 of barrel member 10 until end face 20 ofbarrel member 10 abuts end face 28 of barrel member 12. Detent 54 isthen inserted through aperture 84 in barrel member 10 and intoregistering bore 36 where it seats in groove 50'. Tool 74 is thenwithdrawn from barrel member 12. Barrel member 12 is then rotatedrelative to barrel member 10 until lateral bore '36 in barrel member 12registers with indentation 82 in barrel member 10 and the detent iscammed into indentation 82 by the spring urged forward movement of lockmember 40.

What I claim is:

1. In a writing pen having first and second barrel members which housean ink cartridge, said first barrel member having a longitudinal boretherein defined by a tubular wall and an end wall, the inner surface ofsaid tubular wall having a recess therein, said second barrel memberhaving a longitudinal bore therethrough and including an insert partslidably received within the longitudinal bore in said first barrelmember, said insert part having a lateral bore therein whichcommunicates with the longitudinal bore in said second barrel member andwhich registers with the recess in said first barrel member, a lockmember slidably received within the longitudinal bore in said secondbarrel member, said lock member having a recess therein and beingshiftable between a lock position wherein its said recess is spaced fromsaid lateral bore and a release position wherein its said recess ispositioned in registry with said lateral bore, a detent disposed withinsaid lateral bore and engaging said insert part, said detent having aportion which projects into the recess in said first barrel member whensaid lock member is positioned in its lock position, said ink cartridgeengaging said lock member to urge said lock member into its lockposition.

2. The writing pen of claim 1 wherein said recess in said lock member isa circumferential groove.

3. The writing pen of claim 1 wherein said ink cartridge abuts said lockmember, and biasing means disposed with in the longitudinal bore in saidfirst barrel member and engaging said ink cartridge to cause said lockmember to be urged into its lock position.

4. The writing pen of claim 3 wherein said lock member includes a rearend part engaged by said ink cartridge and a front end part having areduced outer diameter, said second barrel member having a forward tip,the longitudinal bore in said second barrel member having a minimumdiameter at said forward tip, the front end part of said lock memberbeing adapted for engagement by a tool means which longitudinally shiftssaid lock member from its lock position to its release position.

5. The writing pen of claim 4 wherein the front end part of said lockmember terminates inwardly of said forward tip.

6. The writing pen of claim 3 wherein the end wall of said first barrelmember has a bore therethrongh which communicates with the longitudinalbore in said first barrel member, a flexible attachment means having oneend portion inserted through the bore in said end wall and into thelongitudinal bore of said first barrel member, and a stop secured tosaid end portion within the longitudinal bore of said first barrelmember and having a maximum transverse dimension which is greater thanthe diameter of the bore in said end wall.

7. The writing pen of claim 6 wherein said stop is substantiallyspherical and said biasing means engaging said ink cartridge is ahelical spring disposed within the longitudinal bore of said firstbarrel member, said spring having one end engaging said stop and theother end engaging an end face of said ink cartridge.

8. The writing pen of claim 1 wherein the tubular wall of said firstbarrel member has a lateral bore therein adapted to receive withclearance said detent, and the recess in said first barrel member is anindentation having a center angularly spaced from and positioned withinsubstantially the same transverse plane as the axis of said lastmentioned lateral bore.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,991,825 2/1935 Strickland 58X2,776,015 1/1957 Bielstein 5X 2,901,804 9/1959 Williams 24-211 3,014,74512/1961 Kytta 292252 3,186,196 6/1965 Moberg 7034 MARVIN A, CHAMPION,Primary Examiner E. J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner US. 01. X.R, 24-411;401-495

